The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle lifting and towing equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems for lifting and supporting one or more wheels of a vehicle to be towed.
Systems configured to lift and tow a vehicle by lifting either the front or rear wheels off the ground and towing the partially-lifted vehicle on its remaining two wheels are generally referred to as wheel lift or underlift systems. Wheel lift systems generally employ an extensible and/or folding crane or boom assembly supported at a rear portion of a transporter truck (e.g., wrecker, roll-back truck, tow truck, carrier, etc.) and extending rearwardly from or out beyond the truck's rear deck (the space between the rear of the cab and the rear bumper). The boom assembly represents the main lifting or leverage component for lifting one end of the vehicle to be towed. Provided at a distal end of the boom assembly is a cross bar member. A wheel engaging apparatus, hereinafter referred to as a wheel retainer system, for lifting and/or supporting the front or rear wheels of a vehicle is coupled to the cross bar member. When positioning the wheel lift system for towing, the boom assembly is maneuvered into a position such that the cross bar member is positioned against the tread of the tires and the wheel retainer system secures the tires in place against the cross bar member.
Often, the wheel retainer system is in the form of a pair of L-shaped members or arms (one for engaging each wheel of the vehicle to be towed) coupled to the cross bar member and extending rearwardly therefrom. The L-shaped members are often fixedly coupled to the cross bar member with a first segment of the “L” fixed relative to the second segment of the “L.” In certain applications, it may be desirable to reduce the amount of space that is occupied by the L-shaped members when not being used (e.g., when the transporter vehicle is traveling without a vehicle in tow, etc.). When a wheel lift system is used with a wrecker truck, wherein the boom assembly can be rotated upwards to a substantially vertical position when stowed, the L-arms can be permanently coupled to the cross bar and outwardly extend therefrom. However, when a wheel lift system is used with a carrier or roll-back type truck, the boom assembly cannot be rotated upwards to a substantially vertical position because of the presence of the carrier deck. In such applications, the wheel retainer systems may need to be manually removed and/or moved to reduce the safety hazard caused by having the wheel retainer systems outwardly extend from the rear of the transporter vehicle.
Accordingly, there is a need for a wheel lift system having a foldable or otherwise collapsible wheel retainer system. There is also a need for a wheel lift system having a wheel retainer system that is configured to be selectively moved from a use position (wherein the wheel retainer system outwardly extends from a cross bar member) and a stowed position (wherein the wheel retainer system is collapsed against the cross bar member). There is also a need for a wheel lift system having a wheel retainer system that can be moved between the use position and the stowed position without requiring manual manipulation on the part of an operator. There is also a need for a wheel lift system having a wheel retainer system that can be actuated into the use position without requiring manual manipulation on the part of an operator.
It would be desirable to provide a wheel lift system that provides one or more of these or other advantageous features as may be apparent to those reviewing this disclosure. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-mentioned needs.